Photo: Lucien P. Burleigh (1853-1923) · Public domainBridgton has higher unemployment (5.1%) than 63% of U.S. towns
About one in four work in Bridgton; the top destination outside it is Portland (8%, 40 miles). Jobs and income earn Bridgton C; getting around on foot earns it C. A typical one-way commute lasts 41 minutes, where Maine has 25 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Bridgton in brief
Bridgton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 41 minutes each way, against 25 across Maine. Over a year that’s about 314 hours of commuting, 123 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (20 to 38 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Bridgton trades workers with the towns around it
Bridgton has about as many jobs (2,053) as working residents (2,271), but they are mostly different people: 1,720 residents leave for work each day while 1,502 people come in. Only 27% of the jobs in Bridgton are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Bridgton’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Bridgton is Portland, 40 miles away as the crow flies. 8% of working residents (187) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: Bridgton’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bridgton is better than 28% of U.S. towns, #117 of 143 in Maine. Household income holds Bridgton’s grade up ($77,500, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 14% of U.S. towns).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bridgton could be anywhere from D to B+.
How long Bridgton spends getting to work: about 41 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bridgton workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,792 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Bridgton on a workday afternoon
On a workday 1,720 residents head out to work, 551 work right here, and 1,502 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.90 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How far Bridgton’s workers travel
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Out of Bridgton to work: where people go
Where Bridgton clocks in
8% of workers
6% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The 2,053 jobs based in Bridgton
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bridgton, 2013 → 2023: 1,683 → 2,053. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Bridgton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Few in Bridgton walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bridgton is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns, #86 of 143 in Maine. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.0% across Maine.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,069 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 41% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.6% of Bridgton households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Bridgton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 3,394 U.S. towns of 4,200 to 8,100, Bridgton comes 2,574th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 343 | North Yarmouth ME | 4,424 | $129K | 4.8% | 1.9% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 706 | Arundel ME | 4,596 | $102K | 5.9% | 3.0% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 733 | Hollis ME | 5,003 | $96K | 5.7% | 1.8% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,572 | Mocksville NC | 6,282 | $55K | 19.2% | 4.2% | 18% | C |
| 2,573 | Center Township IN | 6,114 | $57K | 20.0% | 2.7% | 21% | C |
| 2,574 | Bridgton ME | 5,965 | $78K | 12.8% | 5.1% | 24% | C |
| 2,575 | Mira Monte CA | 6,888 | $73K | 16.3% | 6.0% | 3% | C |
| 2,576 | Larose LA | 5,515 | $81K | 12.0% | 7.4% | 10% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 3,394 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 4% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Bridgton, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
How Bridgton compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Naples (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bridgton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgton | – | C | C | 41 min | $77,500 |
| Fryeburg | 2% | C | B+ | 20 min | $56,076 |
| Harrison | under 3% | D | D | 31 min | $56,938 |
| Denmark | under 3% | C− | C | 34 min | $64,167 |
| Naples | 6% | B | C− | 38 min | $78,188 |
| Waterford | under 3% | D | C− | 34 min | $66,071 |
| Sweden | under 3% | — | — | 31 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Sweden: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bridgton’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Bridgton: questions
What is the median household income in Bridgton?
$77,500 (±$23,690) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bridgton?
12.8%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bridgton?
41 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bridgton work?
24% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (8%, 40 mi), Naples (6%, 7 mi), South Portland (4%, 37 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bridgton walkable?
Bridgton is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bridgton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bridgton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bridgton
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.